The Initial Stage of Group Counseling

The forming stage is characterized by dependency, and need for acceptance and guidance. In this stage the "meet and greet" is done. During the meet and greet each member gathers information that will determine the strength of potential relationships amongst group members, as well as establish group hierarchy. Generally, in this stage the leader of group is selected. The group leader has a tendency to be someone that is viewed as stable and

The forming and orientation stage of the group is the initial step of getting the group started. Gladding (2012) outlines seven steps that make up the forming stage of group development. First, one must develop a basis for the group.

At this stage, the group begins to realize the more positive points of individuals within the group, which promotes the development of trust and respect which begins to build group cohesion. The next stage is the performing stage, which is typical of high-performing teams that are able to function as a group and figure out various options to get the job done smoothly and effectively without supervision. The final stage is the adjourning phase, which is the final step in completing tasks and breaking up the team.

The first stage is forming; this is when members get to know one another. This is one of the most important stages. In the movie, this occurs when all of the football players are in the gym ready to meet Coach Boone. All the different race groups were together. In this interaction, the athletes have come together

Norming – during this stage the trust and respect is developing amongst the members of the group, since it becomes clear that each member has a role and they are aware of what

Throughout the film the stages of group development (forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning) are observable. The first stage

Using Tuckman’s (1965) model of group development, our first session can be considered as our “forming stage.” This was on the basis that it involved introducing ourselves to one another and to quote Price (2001): “we created and negotiated an

This stage sees group members begin to confront each other as they begin to vie for roles within the group that will help them to belong and to feel valued. Thus as members begin to assert their individual personalities, the comfort of the forming stage begins to come under siege. Members experience personal, intra and inter group conflicts. Aggression and resentment may manifest in this stage and thus if strong personalities emerge and leadership is unresponsive to group and individual needs, the situation may become destructive to the

In the five-stage process of group development it is in the norming stage that the group is able to control the behavior of its members. In this phase, the third phase, member start to feel as if though they belong and individual ties are made. Out of this comes a sense of direction for the group and they begin to create rules for moving forward.

The group facilitator(counselor) fashioned an atmosphere for trust, exclusive creativity and expressionism; allowing members to reveal inner thoughts and personal dilemmas.

During the forming stage, the group takes considerable direction from the group’s leader, as the roles of the other team members are yet to be defined. Members of this group have their guard up, are on their best behavior and/or feeling anxious or nervous.

Group counseling within a therapeutic group can be beneficial to those individual’s participating if the therapeutic relationship and group unity is established; this unity is the most important element for a positive outcome (Bakali, 2010). However, this is not the primary influence, the leader is most important at the initial stage of the group formation; the leader contributes to the development in the cohesion of the group (Bakali, 2010). Most significant is the handling of the transition from the early stage, or beginning stage of the group into the working stage (Jacobs, 2016). A recent study suggests that the therapist variability may predict the later development of the alliances in a group (Bakali, 2010). For the group to have

The next stage is the initial stage and this stage gives the group time to explore. This is a very critical stage because the members are finding out if they are in a safe place and they learn whether or not they can trust the facilitator and the group members. This will most likely take

The Woodson foundation needs to understand all five stages in order to be successful. The stages are a useful framework for understanding group development (274). If they understand the five stages they eventually achieve their goal. Each stage plays an important role in the project. A understand of these stages promotes cohesiveness and measures progression. Once they look back from stage 5 to stages 1&2 they realize how the differences became similarities for the common goal.

Group counseling operates on the same level as individual counseling when it comes to process and procedure. The counselor is taxed with forming a group and creating an environment in which members feel safe, trusting and present a willingness to share their experiences. The counselor is responsible for leading the group; facilitating how the group reacts and interacts individually and collectively. The intensity of how well the group comes together as a unit depends a great deal on the counselor as a person. Importantly, his/her values, morals and attitudes will be on display, therefore the counselor must be transparent. Members of the group must be able to relate to the group leader in a manner that allows them to trust the counselor. Trust, will compel members to cooperate by discussing their experiences and sharing the reasons they found it necessary to participate in the group.